An electrical connector usually comprises a moulded plastic casing having a plurality of chambers adapted to receive electrical terminals of metal. The terminals are inserted individually into a respective chamber and retained by a one-way latch. The latch usually consists of a bent up lance of the terminal which engages behind an abutment of the casing in the installed condition. Such a construction is very common.
The casing may further include a retainer insertable in the housing into engagement with the terminals. Such a retainer has the function of providing a secondary latch to the terminals, and of ensuring that the terminals are fully inserted in the casing. Again, such a construction is very common.
It may be necessary to remove an individual terminal for repair or replacement. The correct method is to release the retainer and bend the lance out of engagement with the abutment; this permits the terminal to be withdrawn from its chamber. However, whilst the existence of a retainer is usually obvious, an operator may have difficulty in identifying how to release the lance, or he may not realise that a lance is present. In either case direct force may be applied to the terminal, and this can result in damage or destruction which may be difficult to rectify.
The present invention aims to provide a solution to the above mentioned problem.